


Kyu/Ryu Ficlets

by Stariceling



Category: Tantei Gakuen Q | Detective Academy Q
Genre: Ficlet Collection, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-17
Updated: 2012-07-17
Packaged: 2017-12-06 04:59:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/731700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stariceling/pseuds/Stariceling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of short ficlets for Ryu/Kyu and Kyu/Ryu moments. Some naughty, some friendship with hints, some shameless fluff.</p><p>1: Kyu attempts to infect Ryu with his cheerfulness (set after Kamikakushi arc)<br/>2: Ryu relaxes thanks to Kyu's warmth.<br/>3: Kyu tries to protect Ryu from a possible stalker.<br/>4: Kyu won't leave Ryu to search for his missing badge alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. After Kamikakushi

**Author's Note:**

> Collecting these together in one place before I have a flood of snippits for this couple.
> 
> This first one is set near the end of the Kamikakushi case.

Kyu still couldn’t help wondering where the people of Kamikakushi had gone, after surviving the epidemic. Of all the mysteries they had encountered in the last few days, it looked like this one was going to remain unsolved. At least they hadn’t been wiped out by the virus.

Instead, the virus itself seemed to have gone extinct. Perhaps there was simply no other organisms in the valley that were susceptible to it. What should have become the strictest government quarantine in decades had been abandoned, for the complete lack of anything to guard against.

It was a beautiful place, though. Wild and overgrown, weeds shooting up around the buildings and disrupting the fields.

Kyu found the diary in one of the buildings, protected somewhat from the elements. They had been warned that it was hard to be sure what kind of condition the buildings were in, and that they might collapse unexpectedly, but Kyu hadn’t let that stop him.

It had been lying under a low, sturdy table, apparently forgotten. A plain, abused book, and Kyu had heedlessly crawled under the table to get at it.

That was where Ryu found him, flipping quickly through the middle of the book, still crouched under the table. When Ryu called his name, he misjudged where he was and stood up quickly, or at least tried to.

The top of Kyu’s head met the underside of the table with a loud ‘crack’ and Kyu saw stars. He was barely aware of Ryu’s hands helping him out from under the table and supporting so that he didn’t reel right off of his feet.

Ryu was still supporting him when his vision cleared. Kyu almost dropped the hard-won diary in his surprise.

“All right?” Ryu asked after a moment of awkward silence.

“Un.” Kyu nodded, but Ryu didn’t let go of him quite yet.

Another moment of awkward silence. Kyu was just about to break it by asking Ryu when he had gotten here, since he had stayed behind the rest of them when they came to explore the village, when Ryu spoke instead.

“That vial she had, as far as anyone can tell, there was no virus in it. They’ve been running tests on it in town.”

Kyu didn’t have to ask what vial Ryu was talking about. “What was in it, then?” Flesh-eating bacteria? That would at least hold some terror still. A placebo? Air. . . ?

“No one’s sure, but the woman I was talking to said. . .” Ryu looked a little embarrassed as he quoted, “It might have been orange juice in a former life.”

Ryu tightened his grip on Kyu for a split second, then, as if realizing what he was doing, he released him. “It looks like none of our worst fears panned out.”

Kyu smiled to himself. He instinctively knew right where Ryu’s thoughts were. He should have guessed before now that something so personal and awkward as telling someone, ‘I’m glad you’re not dead,’ would have to be a private matter for Ryu.

Everyone had their own ways of expressing things, after all. Megu had hugged Kyu so hard that she had almost knocked him down. Kazuma had actually hit Kinta for being so foolish (he couldn’t reach Kyu right then, Megu was in the way), not nearly hard enough to actually hurt him. Ryu had to express himself in his own way.

“I’m still glad you stopped Megu and Kazuma from going in.” Kyu smiled at Ryu, trying to tell him that he had done the right thing with the information they had at the time. “That whole building was rotting inside. Someone could have gotten really hurt.”

“I almost stopped you.” The next thing Kyu knew, Ryu’s hand clenched on his arm, his grip like a vise. “How did you find out the structure was unsafe?”

Kyu shifted, trying to tug his arm away. “I fell through one of the floors.” He tried to sound casual, but Ryu’s grip was so hard it hurt. Kyu couldn’t believe that Ryu would squeeze his arm so hard on purpose, knowing he was hurting his friend. “It all worked out, didn’t it?”

Kyu’s pain must have shown on his face, because Ryu’s grip loosened abruptly. He paused, watching Kyu for a moment, then let go of his arm completely and stepped past him, transferring his attention to the rest of the house.

Kyu half guessed that Ryu was embarrassed that he had grabbed him too hard, or had embarrassed himself somehow by admitted to worrying in the first place. Kyu watched him silently for a moment, noting that Ryu was just as interested in this place as the rest of them, even if he didn’t make it as obvious.

It was instinctive, that curiosity. Kyu was usually much too caught up in it himself to analyze it, but watching Ryu study the near-bare room it became obvious. Kyu wondered if he looked like that while studying a scene for clues. He couldn’t help having a vague sort of hope that he did. Ryu looked pretty cool when he was being serious.

Kyu wondered if that serious curiosity would change if Ryu had heard what he had.

Kyu glanced outside again. It was such a peaceful place. “She said it would be a hell on earth,” he found himself saying, before he could decide whether he wanted to end up spoiling Ryu’s calm expression or not.

Ryu turned to face him again, and Kyu fidgeted with the diary, passing it from hand to hand.

“She wanted to keep the rest of the world from becoming like this.”

It all seemed terribly sad to Kyu. There was no hell here. The only hell was the one living on in her mind, smothering her. He wanted to do something to dissolve that vision of hell that had swallowed up her entire life.

“We should bring her here, show her this place.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

Kyu couldn’t help being surprised at Ryu’s pessimism. “If she could just see this place, she could see that the world wasn’t going to end after all.”

“And she would have killed four people for nothing.” Ryu stepped forward, his eyes catching Kyu’s for a moment, then flitting away. “I don’t know what she might have told you, but it seems that she could only deal with what she was doing by thinking of all the lives that would be lost if she failed.”

Kyu nodded shakily. He had thought of that, but he also thought that the fact that the truth had been revealed in the end must have made her feel it was all for nothing, anyway. He wanted to at least try to dispel the shadow of fear that had devoured her life.

Ryu placed one hand over the cover of the diary that Kyu was clutching and told him, “I doubt she will thank you for revealing the truth.”

For a split second Kyu felt a cold jolt, thinking that Ryu only cared that his feelings might be bruised, that he didn’t care in the least for the girl whose life had been torn apart trying to guard the world from some imagined, unspeakable horror.

In another second Kyu was able to rationalize Ryu’s reaction. He was probably asking Kyu, in his own way, not to tear her life apart any further. Kyu smiled at him, and Ryu looked a little taken aback, as if he had expected an angry argument.

“I really think it would help her put her life back together.” What was left of it, anyway. Kyu thought she could use all the comfort and help she could get at this point.

Ryu didn’t argue further, and Kyu was grateful. Now that they knew there was no hell here after all, he wanted to be able to enjoy this place. There was a long day ahead of them to discover what they could in this wild, green valley.

“Let’s explore together!” That welcome inspiration hit Kyu as soon as he thought of the rest of the valley stretching out before them, waiting. Now that he could consider their disagreement settled, it was time to move on to something more enjoyable. Kyu grabbed Ryu’s hand, barely noting the look of shock or the way Ryu’s hand twitched at the unexpected touch. He didn’t protest or try to free his hand, so Kyu put it down to mere surprise.

Without waiting for a formal protest, Kyu dragged Ryu out into the sunshine with him.


	2. Warmth

“Hey, Ryu, did you. . . oh! Are you asleep?”

Ryu blinked his eyes open at the sound of that familiar voice and craned his neck up to see Kyu leaning over him. He hadn’t even been aware of falling asleep, but obviously he had. Ryu lifted his head enough to shift the book he had been reading out from under his cheek, trying to regain some semblance of dignity.

“No, I’m not asleep.” Not anymore, anyway. Ryu stretched, trying to loosen his sore shoulders. His whole body ached dully, and his head. He didn’t want to get up just now, but he would if that was what Kyu wanted.

Just as Ryu was thinking of sitting up, he felt warm hands laid on his back. He tensed in surprise at the feeling of hands running over his shoulders, but that didn’t last as he remembered it was just Kyu.

“Did you fall asleep in a weird position?” Kyu asked conversationally as he rubbed Ryu’s shoulders. It wasn’t a massage. Kyu didn’t seem to have any idea how to find the proper pressure points for that. He just kept moving his hands across Ryu’s shoulders, over and over again.

Ryu lowered himself back down to lie on his stomach, turning his face so that he could see Kyu even with his head resting on the pillow. “Did you want to ask me something?”

“It’s not important.” Kyu pressed the heel of his hand against Ryu’s shoulder almost absentmindedly. “Hey, what were you reading? Was it so boring it put you to sleep?”

“No, not really.”

“Are you not feeling okay? It seems like you’ve been tired all day.”

“I’m fine. I just ache.” Ryu stopped himself, but not before the complaint had slipped out. He tried to amend it by adding, “The warmth helps a lot. Thank you.” Because that’s what Kyu’s hands were, mostly. Warm.

“I’ll get you a heating pad then,” Kyu offered happily, letting go of Ryu and straightening up abruptly.

“No, that was enough. Really, I don’t need anything else.”

“Really?” Kyu wrinkled his forehead for a moment, thinking. Then he bent over Ryu again, but instead of running his hands over Ryu’s shoulders again he wrapped his arms tight around Ryu from behind, pressing his chest against Ryu’s back.

Ryu froze again.

“This is warm too, right? Is it any better?”

Whether it was the warmth seeping into his back or something else, Ryu found that this was, indeed, better. Even the slow throb of his headache dulled to nothing more than a background twinge. It was enough to make him admit, “Yes, much better,” in a soft voice. He hoped that would make Kyu stick around for a few minutes, at least.

“I’m glad.” Kyu shifted a little, getting settled in. He was practically lying on top of Ryu, but Ryu found he didn’t mind the weight. It made him feel sleepy and content, like having a favorite blanket draped over him. He really couldn’t decide if he was being snuggled or spooned or squished, but whatever it was, he was comfortable.


	3. The Creep in the Corner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just thought it would be fun. Kyu notices someone has been keeping tabs on Ryu and makes what seems like a logical conclusion.

“Ryu, don’t look now, but that creepy guy is watching you.”

Ryu didn’t need to look, he had been aware that Anubis was following him for most of the afternoon. What he hadn’t expected was Kyu’s urgent whisper in his ear. He hadn’t realized the other boy would notice. Anubis certainly didn’t stand out, and he hadn’t made any obviously creepy moves yet. His presence made the hair on the back of Ryu’s neck stand up, but Ryu already knew him, and knew that he was bad news.

“I’m sure he’s just looking around,” Ryu invented. He picked up his spoon and prodded the shaved ice in front of him. Kyu had insisted there was nothing better in summer than shaved ice and watermelon, so Ryu had allowed himself to be talking into the former at least, though he was starting to feel cold from eating flavored ice in a cool, air-conditioned cafe.

“He’s trying to look like he’s looking around but he’s looking at you,” Kyu lowered his voice conspiratorially. Scooting closer, he spoke directly into Ryu’s ear, “I’m sure of it. He keeps staring at the back of your neck like he wants you to turn around.” 

Ryu shivered, though he wasn’t sure if it was from Kyu’s breath brushing over his ear or the dangerous situation of Kyu watching Anubis watching him. Kyu obviously noticed, because he reached over and touched Ryu’s knee briefly.

“I’ll go tell him to leave you alone.”

“Don’t!” Ryu grabbed Kyu’s arm to keep him from getting up, turning just in time to see Kyu’s mouth fall open in surprise. “Don’t,” he repeated, trying to compose himself. “Please don’t cause a scene, Kyu. It’s not a big deal.” He couldn’t imagine anything worse at this moment than a confrontation between Kyu and Anubis.

Slowly, Kyu reached up to lay his hand over Ryu’s. His expression became serious as he asked, “What do you mean, ‘It’s not a big deal?’ Does this happen to you often?”

“I guess so.”

Ryu didn’t want to elaborate. He was a little too used to being watched by members of Pluto. He didn’t think he had that much experience with normal perverts, which was probably what Kyu thought the ‘creepy guy’ was.

“But it makes you uncomfortable, doesn’t it?”

Ryu looked down at the table, refusing to answer. If he said ‘no,’ Kyu would know it was a lie. He didn’t have to say a word for Kyu to know.

Kyu stood up suddenly, and braced one arm over Ryu, hemming him in against the table. His serious face made Ryu’s heart jolt, giving him the impossible feeling that Kyu was trying to shield him, to protect him from something as unsubstantial as unwanted eyes.

“Let’s go.” Kyu caught Ryu by the hand, and before he could protest he was being led towards the door, his hand warm and awkward in Kyu’s grip and the rest of his body feeling cold and stiff under the weight of Anubis’s gaze.

Ryu didn’t want to look, but he couldn’t help peeking back out of the corner of his eye as Kyu pulled him out the door. Anubis hadn’t made any move to follow them, but his lips were pressed together in a thin line. It was an unsettling surprise to Ryu that he was so obviously incensed by their sudden departure, or perhaps by the fact that they were holding hands.

Once they made it halfway down the street, Kyu gave Ryu’s hand a squeeze, and flashed him a proud grin. Ryu expected to be released, but instead Kyu whispered to him, “Okay, go!” and took off running.

They dashed down the street, Ryu keeping up in spite of his surprise. Around one corner, then another, then down a flight of steps into a subway station that connected to a maze-like collection of shops that sprawled out in all directions under the streets, until they finally came up again several streets away. Ryu was feeling disoriented by then, but Kyu didn’t stop running, pulling him along until they stumbled down a narrow side-street and found themselves suddenly alone.

Kyu looked back over his shoulder, then collapsed against the nearest wall. He was still pulling Ryu along with him so that Ryu landed awkwardly, pressed against Kyu’s chest. Looking down into Kyu’s grinning face, Ryu couldn’t be sure if he should stand back or stay where he was. He felt warm all over from their short run, though he didn’t think he should be so out of breath from it. Maybe it was Kyu holding on to him that was making it hard to breathe properly.

“We lost him!” Kyu laughed, making a victory sign in Ryu’s face.

Ryu didn’t think Anubis had even followed them out of the cafe, but it didn’t matter. Kyu’s laughter was contagious. Without meaning to, he found himself laughing softly into Kyu’s shoulder, feeling exhilarated.

“Why did you do that?” Ryu asked, as he finally managed to compose himself enough to pull away from Kyu. He didn’t pull his hand out of Kyu’s grip, though. Not just yet.

“Because he was making you uncomfortable.”

There were so many things Ryu could have said to that, to tell Kyu it was unnecessary or that he had overreacted or even lie and try to tell him that he hadn’t felt uncomfortable at all. Instead, he squeezed Kyu’s hand and whispered, “Thank you,” and basked in Kyu’s warm, proud smile.


	4. Mud

“It’s not that important, Kyu. You don’t have to help me look.”

“Yes it is! I won’t give up until we find it!”

Kyu’s look of determination stopped Ryu’s argument cold. He had both hands buried in the mud up to his wrists. While Ryu had managed to keep the unavoidable smears of mud confined to his hands and the knees of his jeans, Kyu had telltale streaks of brown on his socks, the collar of his shirt, his left cheek, and even his forehead. If the situation wasn’t so serious for Ryu, the image of Kyu rummaging so seriously in the mud would have been entertaining.

Ryu hadn’t even noticed when DDS badge had popped off when their suspect grabbed him earlier that day. He had been too angry. The man had obviously been trying to aim for someone who couldn’t fight back, and would have gone for Kyu if Ryu hadn’t planted himself firmly in the way. It wasn’t until Ryu had subdued the man that Kyu noticed his badge was missing.

Even then, he had made sure everything was squared away before coming back to look for it. Only he had found Kyu was already there, searching through the mud. No matter how Ryu tried to tell him that it was no big deal, Kyu wouldn’t budge.

Suddenly, Kyu let out a little noise of pain and winced, screwing up one eye and slowly drawing his hand out of the mud. Ryu moved quickly to his side, feeling his insides twist with in guilt. Kyu must have gashed his hand on a rock or something sharp hidden in the mud.

“Let me see.” Ryu pulled his handkerchief out of his back pocket as he grabbed Kyu’s hand and pulled it towards him. He forced Kyu’s hand open so he could see, but whatever was wrong was hidden under a layer of mud.

Ryu wiped the mud from Kyu’s fingers one-by-one, looking for his injury. Finally he discovered a tiny line of blood on the side of Kyu’s index finger. He tried his best to clean it, ignoring Kyu’s attempts to tug his hand back. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”

“You didn’t drag me into anything.” Kyu gave him a cute, confused look. He felt around in the mud with his other hand and pulled something out. “I wanted to help you.”

Kyu reached up and, one-handed, fumbled at the collar of Ryu’s sweater. He swiped his thumb over the thing he had attached to Ryu’s shirt, and when Ryu looked down he was startled to see a subdued gleam of metal. Kyu had found his badge after all. . .

“See? It was worth it.” Kyu rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, looking proud and embarrassed.

Pulling Kyu’s hand away before he could get mud in his hair as well, Ryu gave him a tiny smile. “Thank you.” Kyu grinned at him, so happy that Ryu felt his cheeks heat up. Just watching Kyu’s joy over such a simple thing made him glow inside. Kyu really was a good friend.


End file.
